Chapter 31: That’s Not How You Use the Akashic Records (2)

“Laward?”

“Sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”

“Hehe, I understand. There are so many incredible books around, aren’t there? But focus, please. Out of all these, this book is truly the real deal.”

I refocused my attention on the book she held out.

Could it be that the reason I was able to enter the Akashic Record so suddenly was because of this book?

What Giselle-sunbae handed over looked less like a book and more like a bundle of papers bound together with leather.

From the signs of wear and tear all over it, it really did seem like a pile of paper made long ago. Even now, the edges of the book fluttered weakly, as if they might crumble at any moment.

There was no illustration or title on the cover.

The only thing written was the author’s name.

‘Artie Tyrseus’

“It’s a book about ancient history.”

“By ancient history, do you mean the history before the founding of the Empire?”

“Yes. The thoughts, customs, and even philosophies of the people from that era are inside.” I nodded as Giselle-sunbae continued.

A work that dealt with the philosophy before the founding of the Empire.

It was a wonder the book hadn’t been burned and had survived to this day.

At this level, you could definitely take pride in it being a truly unique book, found only here.

“But what’s that in your hand? Did you find a book you liked in the meantime?”

“Huh?”

“There, two books.”

Giselle-sunbae pointed at my hands, and my gaze unconsciously followed down.

There, two old books had somehow found their way into my hands.

Since it was late, I couldn’t talk much with Giselle-sunbae and just returned to my room.

I came back carrying three books.

I wondered if it was really okay to take these books out so freely…

‘Well, whatever. I’m the librarian here, so it’s fine.’

Giselle-sunbae had simply handed me the books, saying this.

Thanks to her, I was able to take some time in my room to quietly read.

First, I took a look at Artie Tyrseus’s diary that sunbae had handed me.

I slowly opened the book and, before I knew it, was completely absorbed.

Artie Tyrseus was an ancient merchant.

He traded goods from many worlds and met people with various customs during his travels.

This book was a collection of folktales, recording the stories he’d exchanged with those people.

Truly, a treasure for humanity.

For instance, what did ancient people think about the Founding King when the Empire was created?

How did the Dragons come to be at odds with the evil Demons?

The truths of the world that Elementalists heard from the Spirits.

And… the Akashic Record.

Found it.

[The Akashic Record is a space-time created at the intersection of past and present, where countless forms of knowledge intersect. From ancient myths to highly developed technologies of the far future, everything gathers here. It is said that only those who know the flow and truths of the stars can access this place.]

I paused in my reading and mulled over the phrase “Truth of the Stars.”

What exactly is this “Truth of the Stars”?

When I first entered the Akashic Record at Delphi Academy, did I know this “Truth of the Stars”?

No.

I shook my head in answer to my own question.

Back then, I was just a powerless, frightened student.

So what if I changed my way of thinking?

For example—

Maybe it’s not that I know the truth of the stars now, but that I’ll come to know it in the future.

If I keep training my body and growing stronger, perhaps I’ll reach the realm called the Truth of the Stars.

Even the letter I received at the Tower of Wisdom said that if I built up my strength, I would be able to enter again.

[I asked the young man beyond the campfire if anyone had entered the Akashic Record. He spoke the names of —– and ●●●●●, and I was greatly shocked. Aren’t they precisely —-’s –? Their earth-shaking power was truly great enough to shatter the sky, but even greater was their sense of duty. They were heroes who blocked ● from ——……]

Near the end of the book, there were many blurred sentences.

Whether this was due to censorship or just the passage of time and bookworms gnawing away, I couldn’t tell, but I could grasp the general context.

As I suspected from the Akashic Record, my gaining power and those around me growing stronger were signs that something dangerous was about to unfold in this era.

And here I was, just a petty noble of the Empire, trying to take revenge and revive my family.

Just what kind of fate was waiting for me?

Shaking my head to cast off the heavy feeling, I turned to the remaining two books.

One was titled , and the other was .

Just from the titles, I had no idea what they were about.

But since the Akashic Record had given them to me, they must be useful.

I glanced out the window.

The sun had already set, and the moon had been deep in the sky for a while.

The candle I’d lit to read was now almost spent.

It would probably burn out completely in thirty minutes.

I hadn’t even noticed the time pass while reading Artie’s book.

Tomorrow, I would have to attend another meeting with Lady Titania to resolve the situation in the territory…

Time to sleep.

I snuffed out the candle’s trembling flame and lay down.

It had been four days since I arrived at the Squaret Duchy.

In that time, my daily routine had settled into something regular.

In the morning, I met Lady Titania alone to brief her on the investigation.

Though, truthfully, it was mostly just reporting on the ongoing conflicts between the knights and civil officials.

Lady Titania would glare at her desk with a frustrated expression each time she heard my report.

“Milady?”

“Sorry. I can’t help but get frustrated—this isn’t a problem that’s going to be solved easily.”

“Not at all. You’re keeping an eye on Lumpen Hound, right?”

“Yes. As you said, I assigned him to watch Teron. He’s guarding the entrance to the annex.”

“He must be having a hard time out in the blazing sun.”

“Let him suffer a bit.”

Lumpen Hound’s post had been changed from the Strategic Planning Office to monitoring Young Master Teron.

If he had really come to look for someone, putting him in the Planning Office—where all the Squaret Duchy’s information gathered—would be too risky.

If we could monitor Teron’s movements at the same time, all the better.

At lunchtime, I wandered around the mansion, seeking out civil and military officials, as well as various servants, to have interviews with them.

Honestly, I wasn’t gathering much new information anymore, but at least I could fill in the details of what I’d learned so far.

And at night, after training with Amin in the training hall, I would return and spend the remaining time reading the books I brought from the library.

One of the books from the Akashic Record was a children’s storybook called .

Yes, a children’s storybook.

told the tale of a triangle’s adventure, journeying from the first dimension to the third.

[Long ago, in a two-dimensional world, a triangle had a chance to visit a one-dimensional world made only of points and lines.
There, a square greeted the triangle.
“Hello, you’re a beautiful straight line I’ve never seen here before! I’m a straight line too.”
“What? I’m not a straight line, I’m a triangle, and you’re a square.”
“Square? No, I’m a straight line.”
The triangle was very confused.]

According to the story, the triangle kept exploring the world.

The inhabitants of the one-dimensional world couldn’t understand the concept of a plane, and, unable to grasp the triangle’s true form, accused it of being a swindler for its strange words.

Returning to its own world, the triangle realized that the world broadened depending on one’s perspective and understanding.

It then resolved to enlighten the inhabitants of the one-dimensional world, who had branded it a fraud.

Just then, the triangle encountered a strange circle.

[“Hello, you’re a beautiful circle I’ve never seen here before! I’m a square.”
“What? I’m not a circle, I’m a sphere, and you’re a triangular pyramid.”
“Triangular pyramid? No, I’m a triangle.”]

The circle before it was a sphere visiting from the third dimension.

Ironically, even though the two-dimensional triangle thought itself enlightened and wanted to teach the one-dimensional world, it could not understand the concept of the third dimension and became frustrated.

At first, I wondered if the Akashic Record had given me the wrong book.

It wasn’t because the book was too simple.

In the latter half, it went through the fourth and fifth dimensions, all the way up to the eleventh, and no matter how much I read, I just couldn’t understand what it was talking about.

But there was no way the Akashic Record would recommend a meaningless or incomprehensible book.

These were, after all, books given to me by the very letter of the Akashic Record, telling me to build my strength.

The answer was easy to find.

Maybe the sword I wielded, the path I believed to be a simple line, was actually a plane or even a solid.

The next evening.

I finished my schedule early and headed for the training hall.

“You’re here!”

Amin was already there, having opened up the training hall ahead of time, even though it was a bit early.

“What shall we do today? Basic drills first? Horizontal slashes? Imperial Swordsmanship? Or Kingdom Guardian Swordsmanship? Maybe some legendary secret techniques?!”

This girl really doesn’t tone it down, even at night.

“Uh, just give me a moment. I need to check something, so please be quiet?”

“Yep! Pretend I’m not even here, and train as much as you like.”

It was hard to pretend she wasn’t there when she was staring at me so intently.

But I needed to focus.

Her gaze wasn’t what mattered right now.

I drew out Hellfire.

Exposed to the night air, Hellfire sent a warm energy through my fingers.

Was it greeting me?

Alright. The breeze was pleasantly cool—maybe I’ll swing the sword for a bit.

First, I need to turn a line into a plane, then into a solid.

I pictured the line Duke Helpion had wielded before my eyes.

Alright. First, the point.

The very tip of Duke Helpion’s sword, erasing the butler’s attack from existence.

Slowly, I raised Hellfire and aimed it at an imaginary enemy.

For my opponent, I pictured the strongest of Darenberg’s subordinates I’d ever met.

He raised his sword with a fierce presence.

I raised mine as well, focusing on the scene in my mind.

Next was the line.

The razor-sharp trajectory drawn in midair by the sword’s tip.

That, and the guideline showing me how to link my attacks and predict the enemy’s.

Even now, countless lines connected my attacks with the enemy’s, creating a complicated web.

The vision thrust at my neck in a single motion.

I stepped back two paces, fully deflecting the strike, and at the same time, I brought my blade up under my opponent’s armpit.

He flinched in surprise, ducked forward, and rolled away.

I calmly turned to face him again.

Now, the plane…

But how do I do a plane?

Was I supposed to focus on the area formed by connecting lines and vertices?

Or should I focus on the center that creates the points and lines—the blade’s surface itself?

Ugh, I’m not really sure.

I don’t have no sense of it at all, but—

“Da…”

Hm, ‘da’?

“Amazing!”

Ah, right.

I wasn’t alone here—this girl was with me too.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I turned to find Amin clasping her hands together, eyes sparkling.

“That’s incredible! Is that the Swordsmanship you learn in the Helpion Duchy?? The Grand Master’s Swordsmanship? Wow, wow! It’s like you’re painting over the world with colors! Incredible.”

Now that I think about it, I’ve never been praised like this for my Swordsmanship—never told it was good or cool.

After all, I only started wielding the sword after entering the Helpion Duchy, and that place was crawling with monsters stronger than me.

“Plus, the way you control your strength… I should say, it’s just destructive. All your energy is focused in the sword, it’s like, just one single line. Is that the Sword-Unity that only true masters can achieve? Wow, I never thought I’d see Sword-Unity right before my eyes! It’s a miracle!”

“Wait, what did you just say?”

That last bit was not something I could ignore.

Could it be… instead of me helping Amin, Amin’s the one helping me?